Work Text:
Often in life, you take small things such as your identity for granted; you'd never expect someone to convince you that conformity was the right path. However, when you let yourself get lost in the sea of forced change, you'll realize that along the way, you've lost your true colors.
Charlie whistled as he walked around the facility, gleefully spinning a keychain on the tip of his finger. Man, what a lovely day to take a walk in these grey, depressing hallways! Nothing like the smell of nothing to cheer a guy up. Charlie chuckled at his own internal thoughts, slouching a bit as he turned a corner. If it wasn't obvious enough by his sarcasm, there wasn't much to do this far out, so this was the next best activity to do when you weren't working. Well...okay, he could hang out with people during his breaks…but Charlie didn't really feel like wasting his precious time with sheeple. Especially the weirdos who follow the creepy black-haired man; Charlie hated that he had to work under funky blue eyes. Maverick could tell Charlie to do whatever bidding he wanted, but 9 times out of 10, Charlie would never do it. He'd only ever commit to his work since Maverick got him out of the psych ward--even then, it shouldn't warrant Charlie to owe his life to Mr. Rickey. Once enough time had passed, he was getting the hell out. Sure, nothing was waiting for him outside of this hell, but at least there would be more opportunities. Kind of like a coyote with the wild world. Charlie was blissfully happy at the thought of a coyote, smiling like a dork...until Ryan came into his view. Great...
"…Oh, hey. Didn't expect to see you here…" Ryan mumbled, approaching him as he held papers and a coffee mug. Ugh, this dork…was he seriously doing paperwork for the lunatic?
"Yeah yeah, whatever. What brainless crap are you doing right now?" Charlie asked, approaching the desk with all the dumb plans Maverick had come up with. Bet he did these in crayon before making it look professional. He snickered at the thought as Ryan approached him from behind.
"It's not brainless…it's for the cause," Ryan muttered, looking around nervously. How is Charlie still alive…? All these smart comebacks would have made Maverick beyond angry. Charlie stared at Ryan for a second, a glimpse of genuine emotion shimmering on his face. But then, he started cackling, slapping Ryan's back as he walked away. Ah, at least Ryan was still funny…in a sad, pathetic way.
"Oh man, you really crack me up! At least that part of you hasn't changed," he chuckled, stretching himself out before waving bye to Ryan, "Well, I'm off to my dorm for a beer. Later, sheep." He couldn't believe Ryan thought that little sentence could make him change his mind. What was this? Some taming group? Well, he was pretty sure they couldn't tame wild animals, especially a coyote.
…At least, that's what Charlie thought. Could you tame a wild animal such as a coyote? And if so, what would that mean for the canine?... Eh, it didn't matter to him.
…As Ryan watched Charlie walk away, he clutched his papers, worry filling his mind. Well…at least Maverick wasn't here—
"Well, isn't he a disobedient canine…I thought you said he'd come through by now…" Maverick muttered from behind Ryan. He jumped at the sound of his superior's voice, slowly turning around to face Maverick.
"Ah! I…I mean…I did say he MIGHT come around by now…but uh, he's still just figuring things out. Please give him more time…sir…" Ryan nervously muttered, giving him a nervous smile. But all he got in return was a sinister chuckle.
"Oh, Ryan…you've been saying that for the past 2 weeks…I'm beginning to grow impatient…" Maverick muttered, his voice dropping in pitch as he frowned. Ryan stepped back, his hand slightly shaking. Shoot…"I think it's about time we put that wild coyote on a leash…"
Charlie muttered incoherently as he slept, beer cans decorating his bed and floor. Man, this was the worst headache he's had in years…it was a miracle that he was asleep at this time. It might have been 2or 4 in the morning…who knew, he was passed out drunk. As Charlie was hitting a crescendo in his dream's storytelling, his phone buzzed loudly into his ear. He wasn't known for being a heavy sleeper, so he woke up immediately in a daze. Oh, for heaven's sake! He couldn't even get away from work during his break! Angrily, he snatched his phone from under his pillow, picking up the phone without checking who the caller was.
"What….?" Charlie grunted into the phone, desperately trying to fight the urge to scream at whoever this was. All he wanted was ONE moment to re—
"Hey, Charles," …Charlie's whole body froze, his heart thumping against his chest. Was that…?
"O-oh! Jasmine…? Uh, why are you calling me at…3 am?" If he wasn't awake before, he definitely was now. When he first arrived in this hellhole, Jasmine was by far the only person who genuinely seemed pretty decent. He liked being around her; she was such a calming force…kind of like a sheep? Speaking of sheep, she was still like the other weird culty members, but at least she wasn't braindead like them...Ah! A black sheep! That's who she was! Jasmine liked speaking back to Maverick, but in a more extreme way. And he barely bats an eye in her direction! Charlie learned from Ryan that the two were brother and sister; he figured that since they looked so alike. Whatever, the point is, she was different, and he really liked her for that; if he were to befriend someone else in this God-forsaken place, it would be Jasmine!
"Ugh, sorry…it's just, I've been BORED out of my mind lately! Everyone here is just so…basic…" she complained over the phone, some rustling being heard from across the call. Was she walking around?
"Bored…?" He repeated, shifting in his bed. He really hoped she wanted to hang out…he could really use the mind stimulation.
"Yeah. I figured a walk around the facility dorms would be nice…But it'd be kind of boring to go by myself. So, I guess I wanna ask if you would like to co—"
"YES!— I mean…uh, yeah, that'd be cool!" Charlie fumbled out, immediately getting off his bed. That's what he needed, someone like HIM to be his friend! They could both be the odd creatures of this stupid herd. Charlie imagined Jasmine as a black sheep with horns next to a coyote, and he chuckled at the thought. That's kind of funny. There he goes, laughing at his own joke. He heard Jasmine chuckle through the speaker, which made his heart thump.
"Alright. I'll see you in a few." She hummed, a joyous tone slipping from her words. With that, she hung up, leaving Charlie feeling buzzed. Wow. Maybe this place wasn't bad after all...
As Charlie walked through the barren halls, hands anxiously buried in his pockets, he couldn't help but glance around nervously. It wasn't often that he felt like this, so he found it thrilling that his heart was pounding so heavily. Who wouldn't when faced with the possibility of a new friend (probably an introvert)? When he turned the corner, he nearly froze. Jeez, that was kind of scary...Jasmine sort of resembled her brother in the dark, not that he was scared of Maverick; he wasn't, just...still. Charlie shook his head as he planted a smile on his face, nodding to Jasmine as she turned. A soft smirk appeared on her lips, nodding back to Charlie.
"Hey, what's up?" She hummed, falling in step beside him. He shrugged, softly whistling to himself to ease his nerves. It was a habit he built for himself, fairly normal compared to his other ones.
"Nothing much, what about you?" He asked, softly chuckling as he noticed her expression turned annoyed. He should've figured there was a lot on her plate.
"Oh, please…don't get me started. Work has been killing me. God knows I needed this walk," She muttered, sighing softly before nudging his arm playfully. Seems like Jasmine knew he needed this as well, and he appreciated it a lot.
They strolled for a while, chatting and laughing together about their work and lives. It was refreshing to vent to someone without them lecturing him; it was like she understood him inside and out. Eventually, they circled back to Jasmine's apartment, making Charlie's heart sink a bit. Oh, he was really enjoying their little hangout together, even if it consisted of mostly walking.
"Ah, guess that's the end of that…I had a nice walk with you." She whispered, her hands behind her back. Charlie hadn't realized how attentive he was to every little detail about her. That's what probably happens when someone leaves a deep impression on you.
"Yeah, same here…" he hummed, looking down at her as he whistled again. Stupid habit. Well, guess the fun was over. Time to head back to his do—
"Y'know, you're not so bad, Charles. We should hang out again. What do you say?" ….what?? Charlie froze for a second to process what Jasmine said. Did…did she really want to hang out…again??
"…Oh! I'd really like that! Yeah!" He smiled, a laugh escaping his lips, almost maniacally. Jasmine returned the smile, waving goodbye before closing her door, leaving Charlie alone in the hallway. Maybe things won't be so bad here…
"Good morning, my lovely bald-headed friend~" Charlie hummed to Ryan, slapping his back as he laughed. He slept pretty well last night and was now in a better mood to work. Ryan sighed, turning around to look at Charlie.
"…Charlie, where's your gun belt??" he grunted,
"Right here." He calmly answered, looking over to where Jasmine usually worked, smiling as he walked over towards her. Ryan tried to speak but sighed in frustration. Well, at least he actually had his tools with him this time…which…was good. Wait…this was good…Huh, the plan did work…Looks like Charlie wasn't a lost cause after all.
"Good morning, Jas!" Charlie hummed, leaning against her chair. Jasmine looked up at him, giving him a soft smile.
"Hey, Charles." She hummed, turning in her chair as she got up. Wow, she was pretty. Charlie was definitely going to perform better with a friend like her.
"Well, it does appear that Charles has shown some improvement…" Maverick mumbled, flipping through some paperwork as his cult member stood behind him; he could sense Ryan's nervous energy. Ryan anxiously looked at his boss, rubbing his neck to ease his stress.
"Uh, yeah…He's been doing a lot better. So…haha…guess we don't have to…y'know…do that 'training' thing…?"
"…I suppose. Most employees usually need training, but I guess he's got it under control." Maverick muttered, a tinge of disappointment heard in his tone. He was hoping to brand his new animal…
Seemed like miracles were real. Charlie started to listen more to his co-workers, even getting work done on time. It was like a miracle come true. But to Charlie, it was just because he had Jasmine in his life…Things just felt okay. He was even beginning to get along with Ryan again. That in itself was a blessing from above--Charlie really missed being with his old best friend...
"Man…I forgot how good these were!" He laughed, chomping down on sushi as Ryan chuckled beside him. This sense of normalcy was just what they both needed in the chaos of the world.
"So, you've been hanging out with Jasmine…?" Ryan asked, pointing his chopsticks at Charlie. He just gleefully nodded, swallowing down the food in his mouth as to not choke.
"Yeah. She's really cool and smart…oh, and her brother doesn't really care about us fooling around during break! That's honestly such a relief in my opinion; I don't know what it is, but something about her just…makes me feel alive," He whistled, looking over across the breakroom where Jasmine had been chatting with Maverick. Man, she was so pretty…
"Yeah, good for you. I don't talk with her much, but she seems... cool... to hang with. I'm glad you're making more friends, man." Ryan stuttered awkwardly, sipping his beverage to cover his red face. He wasn't going to tell Charlie her and him used to date, "I better go back to my duties. Stay out of trouble, Charlie," he eased up, a soft smile on his face before leaving. Charlie sighed as he watched his friend go (oblivious to Ryan's internal turmoil), softly chuckling as he looked down at his food. He supposed it wasn't so bad just doing what he was told…order seemed to work out well for him…
.....Until the silence got to him.
As Charlie threw away his empty take-out container, he couldn't help but look around the room boredly. Well, he finally found a purpose to try at work, but nothing truly felt like it changed for the better. Sure, he had two friends to hang out with, but even that was beginning to wear off. Life felt...dull. How could this happen now? How could it happen right as he was peaking with his life...? Charlie thought the stimulation from a new companion would help him ease the stress from his head...but it was only a matter of time before that stopped working....
...Maybe it was just a fluke. He just...needed to sleep....yeah. Charlie would go to his dormitory and rest. Soon, tomorrow will come, and things will go back to normal. Yeah...
...A week.
A whole week had passed since the realization hit him hard. Nothing had changed. He still felt that gnawing sensation in his gut. It was subtle at first, but now? When did he become so restless? Charlie figured that if he just ignored it, it would go away…but it didn't. Everything around him felt so orderly, so neat. He couldn't ruin it. He couldn't! And yet, Charlie barely recognized himself in the mirror. His hair had been combed back, not a single strand of hair sticking out. His eye bags used to be fading away, but they've come back recently due to his stressed mindset. And now? Now...he felt completely and utterly tied down. He was beginning to hate it! Hate! Charlie hated this life!! This lie!
C R A S H !
Charlie panted as he stared at the broken mirror, a bit of blood on his fist from punch. He needed something to stimulate him...anything!
"..." He looked over at a bag stashed away in his closet, a wicked idea forming in his head. Yes! This would do! He could show everyone a good time! Then things could go back to normal once he saw that stupid chaos! Right...?
...Right?
.
.
Many people wish to raise coyotes as pets; however, wild animals like coyotes are difficult to domesticate like dogs. They have evolved feral impulses to survive in the wild.
.
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"Well, besides the occasional comment here and there, I think Charlie's really getting the hang of things," Ryan hummed, awkwardly letting Jasmine pass through first; he would never not feel awkward around her, "Thanks for getting closer with him, by the way. How much do I owe you…?" he muttered, rubbing his neck awkwardly as he reached for his pocket. Jasmine, however, just chuckled, patting his arm so that he wouldn't take his wallet out.
"Oh, please, you don't need to pay me to be his friend. I probably would have befriended him either way," she whispered, humming to herself as she sat down at some table. Ryan flushed pink as he rolled his eyes, taking a seat beside her. She really didn't have to do this for him...but old feelings tend to linger for longer, even after breakups; Ryan knew that full well. Whatever, he was just glad to have his friend back--
"Heyyyy Ryan~" Charlie hummed, sitting down beside him as he relaxed into the chair. He was wearing his best guard outfit tonight and even combed his hair...but there were some strands of hair sticking out. His eyes looked restless, too. Ryan, unaware of these details, sighed as Charlie sat down, giving him a small smile.
"Sup, Charlie?" He greeted, sipping his coffee as he looked around the room. Seems like everyone was here, must have been an important meeting. As everyone settled down in their spots, Maverick walked up to the front of the room, adjusting his suit as he grabbed a pointer. Yup, an important occasion.
"Alright, seems like we have everyone here. Let's begin, shall we?" Maverick began, looking over at Ryan and Charlie before turning back to the board. As he talked about important plans for the group, Ryan couldn't help but glance at Charlie. He was behaving so strangely today. Something seemed off, but Ryan couldn't pinpoint what. Maybe he just didn't get enough sleep...Ryan took a larger gulp of his coffee. Meanwhile...Charlie had been itching at his neck, excitedly looking around the room as sweat dripped off his face. Any second now...
"We'll need at least 4 people for this job, so I'll be sending messages to people later about who's doing the task…" Maverick continued, adjusting his tie. Almost....Slowly, Charlie turned to Ryan, a devious smirk on his face.
"…Ryan? A man walks into a field and spots a shepherd and a group of people together, but no sheep...." He started, looking up at the ceiling. Ryan looked over at Charlie with a confused and annoyed face, sighing as he rubbed his eyes.
"Charlie, we're in the middle of a meeting. I'm not answering your riddle...."
"The man asks, 'Sir? Aren't you missing your sheep?"
"Charlie..."
"The shepherd smiles, and points to the people nearby..." Ryan sighed as he looked over at Charlie, about to speak, but he was interrupted, "the shepherd says, 'Nah! I've got them!"
"Don't you dare finish that sentence," Charlie smirked, a snicker escaping his lips as he looked at the clock.
"The man asks, 'Where?' and the Shepherd says..."
"Charlie, I swear to God if you say something stupid like--" then…a loud bang echoed in the room. Everyone jumped in their seats, assuming the worst had happened; even Maverick flinched as he reached for his gun. But instead of an attack…a bunch of green confetti fell from the ceiling…and…sheep toys…? Oh. Oh no...
"Right here!" Charlie yelled, bursting out in laughter as everyone looked around in a dazed panic. He just couldn't stop laughing! His stomach began to hurt as he hunched over, grabbing his hair to ease the pain. Charlie might have gone too deep in it now...As Ryan regained himself, he looked over at Charlie, panic flashing on his face as he grabbed him by the arms. He had to have been dreaming! This had to be a nightmare!
"Charlie!! What did you—"
"Charles Henderson!" Maverick yelled, storming down from where he was towards the young man. Charlie immediately stopped laughing as he looked towards his superior, an annoyed expression painting his face. Why was he mad? He just showed them a good time! Maybe even opened their eyes up a bit!
"Yeah?" He hummed, smirking as he held his hands behind his neck. Guess someone didn't teach him to read the room…or Charlie's headspace wasn't in the right area.
"Care to explain to me what the hell this…this MESS is…?!" Maverick barked, gesturing to the whole room. Charlie just chuckled calmly, wiping his mouth of any spit that drooled out.
"Oh, it's nothing…just a little joke to lighten things up! Things were too...orderly for my liking," He hummed, winking at Ryan, who looked utterly mortified. Maverick's face wrinkled a bit, his fist clenched as he looked over at Ryan. He was…not happy…"Don't worry, boss! I'm sure things will be smooth sailing from here! I think I'm starting to get back on the wave after that one!" Charlie thought doing this would help him get back on his neat track, doing work like a good employee he was. Unfortunately, that was not how Maverick saw it.
"…I see…" Maverick mumbled, now eerily calm, "…Well, if you want to misbehave like a wild animal, then I suppose I have to fix you myself…" Maverick mumbled, snapping his fingers. Suddenly, two other members came up to Charlie and seized him, beginning to drag him off. Charlie's smirk fell off his face when the two men grabbed him, panic surging through his body immediately. This isn't supposed to happen! Maverick was supposed to laugh and congratulate him for solving his own issue!
"H-hey! What gives?!" He grunted, struggling against the men as they followed Maverick, "I did that to fix myself! You're supposed to be proud of me!" he yelled at his boss, snarling as he tried to pull away.
...Despite his desire not to be punished as well, Ryan didn't want them to do anything to his friend. He couldn't lose him again! He rushed up and pleaded with Maverick, offering basically everything he wouldn't ever dream of giving up. This was when everything became a blur for Charlie. Eyes were watching him everywhere. A claustrophobic feeling was surging through his heart, a heavy and desperate one. He was doing the right thing! He was going to go back to an or der ly l ife! Char li e f e l t l i k e a c o y o t e c a u g h t i n a t r a p, d e s p e r a t e t o e s c a p e.
"Shut up! All I'm going to do to him is just keep him in solitary confin—" That's when it happened.
When a wild animal is threatened, it usually attacks what it sees as a danger in order to protect itself.
The minute he got one arm free from the man, he swung it forward, striking at something soft…yet c r u e l.
Charlie couldn't recall the last time he'd been so nervous for daylight. The night was supposed to be a time for relaxation, letting your worries slip away into the endless dreamscape...But he didn't feel like that. Charlie felt stressed, worried, and evermore anxious. His stunt didn't work out so well after all...
"…" Charlie sighed as he lay back down, closing his eyes as he steadily breathed. It'll be alright...things will go back to normal in the morning. He'll be an obedient canine again...
"Sir…please…I'll make sure he behaves better after this…! Just…don't…"
"Ryan, I've given you too many chances. Charles will learn his place one way or another. Understood?"
"…Yes sir…"
"…" Charlie grunted as he slowly opened his eyes, his head throbbing like hell. Where was he? Charlie tried to move his hand up to his face, but found that it wouldn't move. What…? He tugged at it again, but to no avail, it stayed fixed. Wait...Charlie moved again as he registered in his mind that he was trapped. Once he figured that out, the fog of slumber swept away as his eyes widened, looking down at his body. Was he tied up?? Panicked surged through his body as he looked around, the room dark and familiar…was this the experiment room…? Wait, no…nonono…
"Boss, he's awake," a voice whistled through the darkness, piercing his ears as he looked towards the source. But he could barely see anything…wait, that was a hooded figure…these are…the people in the group. Was he about to be sacrificed over a bunch of sheep balloons and toys?? He was just trying to fix himself...
"H-hey! Come on, guys! Haha…it was just a fun prank!! Uh, please don't, like…sacrifice me…" he half-joked, looking around to hopefully see a familiar face. But the only familiar face he saw was his superior's face…Maverick. Ooh...he did that...
"…"
"…Uh, hello, sir. You look better?"
"…" Charlie didn't like this silence from his superior. Made him slowly realize that his approach to fix himself might have been...a bit extreme. Surely, someone here could back him up...? But all he spotted were hooded figures and a tray with tools--wait, no...no no...
"…Wait, you wouldn't brand me like some cow, would you?" He asked nervously, hoping it wasn't what he thought it was. Who would do this to their own employee for one joke? A cult?...When Charlie joked about it, he didn't realize it was true. Crap...oh crap! He knew something was up with this group! And here he was trying to be obedient to them! Maverick just kept staring at him, glancing at two members before turning around once they approached on either side, one grabbing the tattoo gun. For the first time in his life, Charlie felt true fear, "Please! I didn't mean to disrupt anything! It was just a harmless prank!" He pleaded, one of the members grabbing his arm while the other prepared the ink, adjusting her hood so Charlie didn't see who she was. She already felt horrible enough that she had to do this…Tears filled up his eyes as he looked around the room, hoping that SOMEONE would defend him. But all he saw were hooded figures.
"Shouldn't have punched him, Charles." The guy muttered, nodding to the girl as she came closer. He felt trapped, like a coyote in a hunter's rope. He looked up at Maverick again, hoping he could convince him as a last-ditch effort. If it were only about the punch, then it shouldn't have been that hard to get him to forgive him!
"Sir…please! I won't ever do it again! I just…I just lost my temper…" he muttered, giving him a shaky smile. Charlie wished he had listened to Ryan more…"I truly meant to do good with that; I was just trying to fix myself! Please...don't...Sir?" That's when he realized that he never had a chance of convincing Maverick out of this. Society never listened to a wild animal, especially the coyote.
The breeze was nice outside, near chilling. The trees were rustling, birds flying in formation, and animals preparing their homes for the cold season. Fall was in full swing now, and Charlie was just sitting their like a trapped fool.
"…Hey, Charlie…you alright?" a voice rang from behind him, awkwardly sitting down next to him as he held some tea and a concha. Charlie just stayed silent, watching as an animal crawled out of a hole. How lucky that fella was, "…Listen, I'm sorry I didn't do anything for you…But, Maverick would have done worse to me if I—"
"What could be worse than feeling like you just lost everything all over again?" Charlie muttered blandly, watching the majestic creature sniff around. Ryan stiffened as he heard Charlie speak, feeling absolutely horrible on the inside as he placed his tea down. Well…Charlie wasn't wrong…He should have done more to help instead of wimping out…Ryan really fumbled this second chance.
"…At least Maverick gave you an assignment that could allow you to release some pent-up anger…?" Ryan muttered, awkwardly handing him the tea. Charlie glanced over at Ryan, angry at him, but still accepting the tea.
"…Sure, if that's how you want to see it," He mumbled, turning back just in time to catch the coyote running off into the woods. He hadn't been sure about it before...but Charlie knew now what the answer to his question was. To tame a coyote was to strip it of its freedom, destroying what could have blossomed into a beautiful story. No one deserved to be subjected to that punishment...not even Charlie.